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The Newbie's Guide to GAR

The Newbies Guide to GARaka "Moar Manly Than You Will Evar Be"by Ariolander, Hentai PhD.

Introduction

The online community of anime fans has its own language of sorts with terms like Moé, Tsundere, Yandere, Trap, and Fap being thrown around with many not knowing what they are or where they come from. Some are imported from our Japanese counterparts some are onomatopoeia popularized by webcomics, and for those who don't know with the latest Sig Competition theme being "GAR" I am sure a lot of you are wondering what this term is and how it came about.

This guide is for you ImoutoChan in case you are STILL confused.

The Definition:

Main Entry: gar
Pronunciation: \ˈgär\
Function: interjection
Etymology: euphemism for God
Date: 2001
A term used towards male characters and individuals who are so overwhelmingly manly that your own masculinity is absolutely *buried*, leaving you naught but a whimpering, swooning girl-child before them.

"Episode 14 left me totally gar for Archer."
"You are gar for badasses, but gay for traps."

The Origins:

Like many internet memes from lolcats to Rick Rolls this term can be traced directly back to 4chan, more specifically the /a/nime board. According to legend a guy expressing his (yaoi?) love for the character Archer (Fate: Stay Night) wrote as a typo “I’m GAR for Archer”.

Some say it was intentional with GAR being a combination of the wards Gay for Archer but intended or not the comment was expressed because of the heroic and manly last stand that Archer displayed during his fight with Berserker. This kind of iconic "last stand" or "epic battle" would become a signature for all GARs to come.

The Virtus:

Since then the term has evolved into what some would call the modernization of Virtus or the personification of the Roman virtue of virtus.

It does not mean virtue in general, but something more like valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth of the perceived masculine strengths. The term itself is probably a derivation from "vir" or "man".

Archetypes of GAR:

While there are many kinds of GAR characters generally they can be grouped into two main categories. The "Hot" GAR & the "Cold" GAR.

Hot Blooded GAR is associated with characters who express their manliness in the heat of the battle, able to stand up and face even the most dire of the situations. It’s a common feature among mecha pilots and as examples we have GaoGaiGar (which conveniently has GAR on it’s name) and more recent Kamina/Simon in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

In the opposite direction we have the Cold Blooded GAR, who express their badass attitute through their cunningness. They usualy plan ahead every moves before acting, in blatant contrast of the “Shoot 1st, think later” attitude of Hot Blooded Gar. As examples we have Colonel Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist or Akagi from Legend of Mahjong: Akagi.

Misconceived GAR-ness:

There are some who propose there are other kinds of GAR but there has yet to be consensus on these "new" GAr types and for the most part their supporters are fools.

Someone would propose that there is such thing as a "Female" GAR in that despite their female status, they can emulate a manly aura in their actions and attitudes that surpass the real males around them. Proposed examples include Claire from Claymore and Revy from Black Lagoon.

While manly for women they are in direct contradiction of Virtus. Likewise while they indeed are manlier than most women those women aren't exactly prime examples of men and none of these Female GARs have even come to approach their male GAR counterparts in terms of manliness. Till a woman is as manly as Kamina this argument is mostly moot.

Another commonly proposed GAR-type is the "Laid Back" GAR. They try to propose that while normally not GAR when forced into action characters like Shunsui Kyoraku from Bleach or Ken Matsushiro from Yakitate! Japan can rival most other GARs.

This is just fanboys in denial. you are either GAR or not. You can NOT have a so called "Laid Back" or Part-Time GAR that whole concept is just retarded.

In Summary:

It is the antithesis of everything that is moé...

Probably the best way to describe GAR is as a Man among Men except that from a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest to qualify for the title "GAR" you must score at least an 11.

While it is one thing to describe a character's attributes calling them courageous or manly probably more important than any single attribute is the character's actions & aura. Simply the aura of a "true" GAR is known to drive many men to their knees bawlking in tears from their simply strength of presence.

TL;DR?

What GAR is:

Valor

Manliness

Excellence

Courage

Character

Worth

What GAR is not:

Moé

FABULOUS

Insane

Female

Part-Time

Yes I am blatantly ripping off Extrange but I disagree with some parts I couldn't simply post the link w/o some edits.